sunset
- 01 A1 Beginner
n.the time in the evening when the sun goes below the horizon and it starts to get dark.
n.the daily disappearance of the sun below the western horizon; a relational boundary between afternoon and evening.
Simple“We sat on the beach and watched the sunset together.”
In context“The hikers aimed to reach the summit before sunset to avoid navigating the treacherous descent in total darkness.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the final period of a person's life or the last stages of a project.
n.the final phase or period of existence of a person, era, or entity.
Simple“The old king spent the sunset of his life in a quiet castle by the sea.”
In context“The company's founders enjoyed the sunset of their careers knowing their legacy was secure in the hands of the new board.”
Teacher's tipOften used in the phrase 'sunset years' to refer to the period of retirement or old age.
- 03 C1 Advanced
n.a date when a law or a contract will automatically end.
n.a provision in a law or regulation that causes it to expire automatically on a specific date unless further action is taken.
Simple“The new tax law includes a sunset clause that ends the tax in three years.”
In context“Legislators debated whether to include a sunset provision in the emergency bill to ensure the expanded powers would not become permanent.”
UsageOften used as an attributive noun, as in 'sunset clause' or 'sunset provision'.
Teacher's tipCommon in business and political contexts when discussing temporary taxes or emergency powers.
Synonyms - 04 C1 Advanced
v.to gradually stop using or supporting something.
v.to terminate or phase out a programme, policy, or product line, often according to a schedule.
Simple“The company decided to sunset the old software by the end of the year.”
In context“The department head announced plans to sunset the legacy database system once the migration to the cloud was complete.”
UsageTransitive verb; usually takes a project, software, or policy as its object.
Synonymsdiscontinuephase out
From Middle English son-sett, Sonne set, equivalent to sun + set. In Gower's Confessio Amantis, before 1393.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.